Shopping bag



M. KATZ SHOPPING BAG Feb. 2i, 1933.

Filed Nov. 24, 1931 I N VEN TOR. 40p/ws #47:?.

Patented Feb. 21, 1.933.

UNITED STATES MORRIS KATZ, OF :NEW YORK, N. Y.

SHOPPING BAG- Application led November 24, 1931. Serial No. 576,986.

This invention relates to shopping bags, and the object of the invention is to provide a bagof the class described with means for supporting the same in folded position so as to facilitate the packing and shipment thereof and the carrying of the bag when not in use a further object being to provide means whereby the folded bag may be used as a small container, pocketbook or purse, with means for supporting the folded portion of the bag in connection with one side wall of the open end of the bag to form between said wall and an yopposed wall, a pocket or compartment; a further object of the invention being to provide a shopping bag of the class described, wherein one of the handle members includes a body of relatively strong and freely bending wire, by means of which the bag may be retained in folded position; 29 and with these and other objects in view, the invention consists in a device of the class and for the purpose specified, which is simple in construction, eflicient in use and which is constructed as hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following speciication, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters in each of the views, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a folded shopping bag, showing one form of handle member which I employ.

Fig. 2 is a partialsection on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the bag in extended position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective and sectional view of a part of the bag shown in Fig. 3 on an enlarged scale, the section being on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a modification; and,

Fig. 6 is a partial section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5 and on an enlarged scale. v

In practice, I provide a shopping bag consisting of relatively wide side wall members 10 and 11, narrower end walls 12 and 13 and abottom wall 14 which assumes the position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing when the bag is extended or open. In folding the bag, the end walls are moved outwardly and folded centrally on the line 15 and on the divergent lines 16 and 17 at the bottom of said end walls which extend to the corner portions of the bag so that the bottom wall 14 may be folded onto the side wall 10 by folding the lower end portion of the bag on the line 18. This will bag. Said folded end walls are indicated at 12a and 13a in Fig. 1 of the drawing. Then, the bottom wall 14 and section 10a including the folded side walls 12 and 13 are folded on the line 19 upwardly upon the section 10b and the parts thus folded are again folded on the line 23 to bring the folded parts upon the section 100.

In this last operation, the folded edge represented by the line 19, Fig. 3 of the drawing, and indicated at 19a in Fig. 1 of the drawing, is placed beneath two U-shaped clips 24 constituting part of one handle member 25 of the shopping bag, the clips 24 serving to support the bag in folded position and against dis-V placement with respect to the side wall 10 or Y the sections 10c thereof, whereas the opposite side wall 11 or the section llathereof is free from the wall 10 or section 10c as clearly il-l lustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing to form a pocket or chamber i tween said walls or wall sections in which articles of various kinds and classes may be placed and carried while the bag is in folded position. The pocket or chamber 26 may serve as a. pocketbook, as will be apparent.

Theother handle member 27 of the bag is secured to the wall 11 in the usual or any dei sired manner. In the construction shown, this result is accomplished by passing staples or the like 28 through the end portion of the cord forming the handle member 27, which 26 within and be# staples pass through a reinforcing strip 29 arranged within the folded upper edge of the side walls 10 and 11 of the bag. The handle member 27 may be composed of flexible cord 5 or twisted paper to form a cord-like strand, or if desired, this strand may be reinforced b a wire filler such as the wire filler 25a provlded in the handle member 25, the purpose of which is to provide for the flexibility of the handle member in the manner shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing if desired, and also in formino' the strong and rigid clips or loopsl24 formed y bending the wire adjacent the end portions thereof, which are attached to the wall 10 by staples 30 similar to the staples 28 which pass through a reinforcing strip 31 within the upper, folded edge of the side wall 10 It will also be noted that a staple or binder 32 is employed for securing the loop portions 24 of the handle member together so that in carrying articles of merchandise in the bag when extended as in Fig. 3 of the drawing, the pull on the handle member will be taken up directly through the attached ends thereof, and not through the loops or clips 24, thus avoiding the possibility of pulling out or opening said loops 24.

With a ba constructed according to the disclosure in igs. 1 to 4 inclusive, it will be understood that the same may be carried about and packed for shipment in its folded state as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, both handle members 25 and 27 serving as means for carrying the bag, which as stated may be used as a pocketbok with articles supported in the chamber 26. When it is desired to use the bag for carrying bundles or packages, the upper edge 19a 1s pulled down and slipped from beneath the clips or loops 24 and the bag unfolded and extended into the position shown in Fig. 3. After serving its purpose, it may a ain be folded into the position shown in igs. 1 and 2.

In Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawing, I have shown a slight modification wherein handle members 33 and 34 are employed, the handle member'33 being secured to the wall 10 of the bag, as is the handle member 25; but instead of employing the wirefller, this handle member is preferably provided without the filler so as to be flexible and is directly attached to the wall of the bag without the inclusion of the loops or clips 24. A

However, the handle member 34 which is equivalent to the handle member 27 includes the wire filler. or core 34a, note Fig. 6 of the drawing, and this handle member is attached to the other yside wall 11 of the bag, preferably at a point outwardly of the attachment of the ends of the handle member 33 with the other wall 10, so that the handle member 34 may be folded around the upper open end of the ba when the several parts thereof are in 05 folde position so as to retain said parts in Lacasse such position in carrying the same about when the shopping bag is not in use, and also in the packing and shipping of the bag.

With this construction, when the bag is open for use as a shopping bag, the handle member 34 is bent upwardly and extended into a position similar to that assumed by the handle member 27, Fig. 1, thus releasing the folded parts of the bag, permitting the same to move into open position. The wire 34a employed as a filler will be of such a texture as to permit bending and rebending without danger of breaka e, or other means ma be provided to provi e the relatively rigid c aracteristics to the handle member, permitting the use thereof herein referred to.

As above stated, it will be apparent that the handle member 27 may be used with the bag shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, in the same manner as the use of the handle member 34 by simply providing the wire filler therein, the purpose of which construction will be to form a lock or closure for the pocket or compartment 26. y

It will be understood that a bag made aecording to my invention may be composed of such ornamental or designed material as to produce a very neat and finished appearance in the resultin folded bag as represented in Figs. 1 and 5 0% the drawing, so that the folded product will produce a neat, attractive appearance, and will not be conspicuous as shoping bags, as heretofore constructed, have een. The practicability and utility of a device made according to my invention will be apparent without expressing the many advantages thereof, and while I have shown certain forms of construction for carrying my invention into effect, it will be understood that I am not necessarily limited to the specific structures herein shown and described, and various changes therein and modifications thereof may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A shoppin bag of the class described comprising a p urahty of foldable sections adapted to be extended to form a relatively large bag and compactly folded into a thin, elongated package, means for retainin the bag in folded position to form said pac age, a handle member extending from one side of the package, said package having a chamber or pocket opening outwardly therethrough and means for supporting the folded sections of the bag so as to give access to said chamber or pocket, said last named `means comprising a handle member and retaining clips lfashoned from the material of said handle mem- 2. A shoppingbagfof the class described comprising a plurality of foldable sections adapted to be extended to form a relatively large bag and compactly folded into a thin, elongated package, means for retaining the bag in folded position to form said package, a handle member extending from one side of the package, said package having a chamber or pocket opening outwardly therethrough and means for supporting the folded sections of the bag so as to give access to said chamber or pocket, said last named means comprising a handle member and retaining clips fashioned from the material of said handle member, and said handle member comprising a strand of relatively rigid, freely bending material.

3. In a shopping bag having relatively foldable sections, means for folding the sections of the bag to form an elongated, relatively thin package having a chamber therein to form of said package a pocketbook, a handle member for supporting said pocketbook, and means for retaining the several folded sections against displacement when the package is used as a pocketbook, said last named means comprising clips disposed on one side wall of the chamber of the pocketbook and engaging the folded sections disposed on said side wall, and said clips being formed integral with a. handle member of the pocketbook.

4. In a shopping bag of the class described, a handle member fashioned from a. strand of relatively rigid material, means for securing the end portions of said strand to one side wall of the bag adjacent the open end thereof, loops formed in the strand of the handle member adjacent the attached ends and projecting outwardly with respect to said bag to form retaining clips for supporting the bag in collapsed or folded position.

5. In a shopping bag of the class described, a. handle member fashioned from a strand of relatively rigid material, means for securing the end portions of said strand to one side wall of the bag adjacent the open end thereof, loops formed in the strand of the handle member adjacent the attached ends and projecting outwardly with respect to said bag to form retaining clips for supporting the bag in collapsed or folded position, and means for preventing the opening of the loops in said handle member when said bag is in use.

6. A shopping bag of the class described comprising a plurality of relatively foldable sections whereby the bag may be folded into a compact, elongated package, handle members attached to opposed walls of the bag for supporting the same in extended position, and one of said handle members engaging the folded sections of the bag to support the same aga-inst displacement.

7. A shopping bag of the class described comprising a plurality of relatively foldable sections whereby the bag may be folded into a compact, elongated package, handle members attached to opposed Walls of the bag for supporting the same in extended position, one of said handle members engaging the folded sections of the bag to support the same against displacement, and said last named handle member including a body of relatively rigid, freely bending material.

8. A shopping bag of the class described comprising a plurality of foldable sections adapted to be extended to form a relatively large bag, and compactly folded into a. thin, elongated package, handle members on opposed side Walls of the bag, means forming part of one of said handle members for retaining the bag in folded position to form said package and at least one of said handle members projecting from said package.

9. A shopping bag of the class described comprising a plurality of foldable sections adapted to be extended to form a relatively large bag, and compactly folded into a thin, elongated package, handle members on opposed side walls of the bag, means forming part of one of said handle members for retaining the bag in folded position to form said package, at least one of said handle members projecting from said package, said package having a chamber or pocket opening outwardly therethrough, and said means supporting the folded sections of the bag so as to give access to said chamber ,or pocket.

10. In a shopping bag, oppose-d side walls of which are provid-ed with projecting handle members at the open end of the bag, said bag having relatively foldable sections, means for folding the sections of the bag to form an elongated relatively thin package having a chamber therein to form of said package a pocketbook, and one of said handle members engaging the folded sections to retain the same against displacement when the package is used as pocketbook.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name this 13th day of November, 1931.

MORRIS KATZ. 

